This invention relates to bicycles and bicycle handlebars which improve bicycle rider performance and stamina and provide increased levels of rider comfort.
Bicycle design is a complex art. Seemingly minor structural changes can often yield significant performance advantages to bicycle riders. Typically, the performance advantages are most apparent in bicycle race competitions.
Competitive bicycle racing requires attention to several factors. Two important factors include rider comfort and frontal area profile of the bicycle and rider combination. Minimizing frontal area increases performance by reducing drag caused by the movement of the bicycle and rider through the air. Improving rider comfort enhances performance by allowing the rider to function for longer periods of time without tiring. Both frontal area and comfort are greatly affected by the position, shape and arrangement of the bicycle handlebars.
Frequently, the design of handlebars requires balancing the need for a reduced frontal area against providing an uncomfortable rider position. For example, a rider may be comfortable sitting in a relatively upright position. When a new handlebar design requires that the rider crouch lower to minimize his frontal area, his comfort level may be reduced because the handlebar forces him to maintain the crouched position for extended periods of time. Thus, balancing these two factors can constrain handlebar design.
Bicycle handlebar design is further constrained by the rules of various riding and racing organizations. These organizations sanction various riding events and require participating riders to comply with the organization's rules. Many of these rules are designed to promote the safety of the large number of riders which frequently ride in close proximity to one another. Thus, sanctioning body rules may prohibit the use of otherwise efficient handlebar designs when the design is thought to compromise rider safety. Such prohibitions have applied in some circumstances to handlebars which include handlebar portions which project substantially forward from the bicycle crosspiece and handlebars having forward facing grip ends which might be a hazard in a mass event start.